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On May 21, 2025, Air India announced its first airport-to-door international shipment of pharmaceuticals. The nearly 36-hour delivery involved transporting six tonnes of temperature-sensitive medicines from Delhi to a warehouse in Brussels via Paris.
The pharmaceutical cargo, supplied by SUN Pharma, was carefully maintained between 15-25°C throughout transit. It was initially flown from Delhi to Paris, then transferred to a cooled Road Feeder Service truck for delivery to Brussels, ensuring the medication's efficacy was preserved at every stage.
Air India’s cargo team, equipped with newly earned Good Distribution Practices (GDP) certification, managed this complex shipment with specialised, temperature-controlled logistics. The airline’s cargo head, Ramesh Mamidala, highlighted that this milestone marks a shift from traditional airport-to-airport services towards a more comprehensive “airport-to-door” offering, emphasising precision and safety.
Mamidala commented, “With the GDP certification, we have now become India’s only carrier with trained staff to manage active pharmaceuticals.”
“These first shipments of our new airport-to-door service is a step forward in progressively pivoting our cargo offering from ‘airport-to-airport’ to world-class ‘airport-to-door’ services, delivered to the highest standards. It’s not just about getting it there, it’s about getting it there right – with precision,” he added further.
This delivery demonstrates Air India’s growing international reach, supported by its extensive network covering 45 Indian cities and numerous destinations worldwide. In the 2024-25 period, the airline moved over 4,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical goods globally, with plans to expand door-to-door services further.
